International Health Regulations

Overview

The International Health Regulations (IHR) are an international legal biding instrument for 194 countries across the globe, including all the Member States of WHO. The IHR, which entered into force on 15 June 2007, require countries to report certain disease outbreaks and public health events to WHO.

Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people worldwide.

Building on the unique experience of WHO in global disease surveillance, alert and response, the IHR define the rights and obligations of countries to report public health events, and establish a number of procedures that WHO must follow in its work to uphold global public health security. Member States in the African Region recommended that IHR(2005) should be implemented in the context of Integrated Disease Surveillance and

Related Health Topics

The International Health Regulations (IHR) are an international legal instrument that is binding on 196 countries across the globe, including all the Member States of WHO. Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people worldwide.

The IHR, which entered into force on 15 June 2007, require countries to report certain disease outbreaks and public health events to WHO. Building on the unique experience of WHO in global disease surveillance, alert and response, the IHR define the rights and obligations of countries to report public health events, and establish a number of procedures that WHO must follow in its work to uphold global public health security.